A Sky Full of Lucky Stars
by KisaraWrites
Summary: After Sorey notices Zaveid has a weird habit of going out late at night, he decides to check on his newest companion.


"Zaveid? What are you doing out here this late?"

The seraph was standing right outside the inn's door, staring up at the night sky while holding his hat over his head. He smirked as soon as Sorey called his name.

"I guess a pure Shepherd like you wouldn't understand how fun it can be to stay up into the wee hours sometimes," he answered with his usual joking voice, although his eyes still didn't reach Sorey. "So, how about you, Sheps? Why ya still up?"

"Well, you see," a nervous chuckle escaped Sorey's lips, but it was quickly replaced by a subtle smile. "I wasn't asleep yet and I heard you leaving, so… I decided to check on you."

Zaveid laughed as he finally turned to Sorey.

"Ah, you're just as caring and thoughtful as always! Is that all that's worrying ya? There's no need, though." His reply started as a joke, but his voice soon sounded serious and firm when Zaveid continued. "I'm about to head back. You should get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

With a gentle pat to the Shepherd's shoulder, Zaveid turned around and started walking back.

"Zaveid!"

The word came out of Sorey's mouth by surprise, his voice louder than intended; he still wasn't convinced it was nothing. Zaveid stopped and looked back at him almost instantly, staring and waiting for him to speak, but Sorey hesitated. The sudden attention caught him by surprise, and it took him a moment to figure out what to say next.

"I-I mean… it's not the.. first time I've h-heard you out at night, so… if there's anything you need, you can always talk to us, you know?"

Truthfully, Sorey had been meaning to bring this up ever since he had heard Zaveid's steps late at night for the very first time not too long after he had joined their party. However, after deliberating, he'd decided it was better to let Zaveid have the alone time he probably needed with his own thoughts. Eventually though, he had noticed it becoming more frequent after they had faced their battle with Eizen, and it was then that he could ignore it no longer; it just didn't sit right with him. Sorey wanted to make sure his companion would be okay, needed to let him know they were there for him, at least.

There was no answer to his question, though. They were surrounded by their own silence, until Zaveid broke it with a question of his own that Sorey definitely wasn't expecting.

"Hey, Sheps," he suddenly started, "what do you think the stars are made of?"

"The… stars?" Sorey repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Ya know, the stars up there that we see in the sky every night," Zaveid explained, and pointed at the starry sky above them. "How do ya think they got there?"

"Zaveid…? What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying what I'm saying, of course! So what do you think?"

Sorey thought to himself for a while, but he didn't know what Zaveid could possibly expect as an answer when he didn't even understand why he was asking the question in the first place. Another uncomfortable silence filled the space between them, until Zaveid let out an unexpected sigh.

"Back in my time," he explained, "there was this legend people used to tell. They said that, after a seraph dies, they become a shining star up in the sky so they can watch over all of us and protect the people they love and care for. I knew someone in particular who loved to tell this tale to everyone around her, especially when she was around children who had already lost loved ones. It never failed to light up their faces."

"Oh! I think I heard something like that from Gramps once!" Sorey exclaimed in excitement, but his smile faded rather quickly when he realized why Zaveid was bringing it up. "I think he said that's just a story, though."

"I've already lived long enough to know that there isn't much for us after we leave this world," Zaveid agreed while throwing another quick glance at the starry sky above them, "and I travelled alone for countless years, but these stars witnessed my journey and my battles all along. So… I thought it wouldn't hurt to pay my respects every once in a while. It helps remind me of the reason why I gotta keep going."

It was the first time Sorey felt as if he could see a glimpse of a very different, serious, _real_ side of his newest friend. He stepped closer,moving to Zaveid's side, and bowed to the stars, his eyes fixed on the sky and a smile on his lips.

"Thank you for taking care of my friend when he was alone," he whispered, and then turned to Zaveid, "But, hey, you're not alone now. Don't forget you have us!"

As soon as the words reached Zaveid, he shrugged and sighed to himself. Once again, he was acting like the regular Zaveid Sorey was used to having around.

"Hah!" the seraph exclaimed. "Now that sounded like a real Shepherd! I think you're forgetting one little detail, though."

"Huh?" The confusion in Sorey's eyes was evident. "What do you mean?"

"We're a team, aren't we? It's supposed to work both ways, ya know," he stated, as if it was obvious. "It keeps getting over yer head, but it's about time you learn this, too. Maybe someday you'll finally tell me what's worrying you so much that you've been keeping track of my secret late night adventures!"

"...!"

Maybe he should've gotten used to it already, but Zaveid's bluntness caught Sorey completely off guard, leaving him speechless, while the seraph simply laughed at his surprise. All he could do was take a small step back.

"Whenever you're ready, Sheps. You helped me keep my promise, and you allowed me to come to terms with things I didn't even know were still holding me back," he continued. "Honestly, I know you've done a lot for our companions and for a whole lotta people 'round this world. We just want to be able to do the same for you, but, you know what? This really isn't about owing favors, or some type of pay back for your Shepherdly good deeds."

"... It's about being there for each other."

Sorey nodded in agreement without hesitation. He waited for a response, or for another one of his friend's observations, but all he found was silence; Zaveid simply stood by his side, his eyes once again focused on the stars above them. And, for some reason Sorey couldn't really explain, that quietude felt just right. He was glad to realize that the wind seraph was finally finding the strength to tell him more about himself and his many, long journeys, and unlike the awkward beginning of their conversation, the silence that surrounded them now as they shared this moment was comforting and intimate.

"Sometimes I still ask myself…" Sorey whispered before he had even realized it. "Sometimes I still wonder if we're doing the right thing. Sometimes I still wonder... if there's any other way to end this fight."

Zaveid didn't ask him to clarify what he meante knew exactly what he was referring to, and who was on the Shepherd's mind, without needing any further explanations. Those same questions had lingered in his deepest thoughts for too many centuries to count, and he knew better than anyone else that it was probably the hardest lesson anyone could ever have to learn. Especially someone as bright and full of hopes and dreams as Sorey.

"Do you have any regrets?" he asked as he looked at Sorey again. "Are you having doubts again?"

"No… I don't… no… I can't have regrets now. We did what we had to do," Sorey rationalized, as if he was more so trying to make himself believe it. "It still sounds so wrong, though. Talking about saving someone, when in fact…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but Zaveid followed his line of thought without hesitation.

"I know this is pretty obvious, but a life is a life. Of course you feel that way. ...Hey, you know what? I think I'll share a little secret!" Zaveid smirked once again, but Sorey didn't show any reaction. "I'd be more worried if you _didn't_ have any concern for the lives around you. But…"

"But…?" Sorey repeated, unsure of what Zaveid was trying to say.

"But you're still saving them," Zaveid explained, back to his serious tone. "You might not be able to do it as you wanted to, but they are still being saved. Take it from a seraph who's lived, seen and travelled enough: _they are being saved_."

It wasn't exactly what Sorey wanted to hear, but, in fact, he wasn't sure what he was expecting in the first place. He'd realized a long time ago that it was a cold truth he'd have to face, but it was still hard to admit it even to himself, and especially to someone else. It was the first time he was able to voice his deepest thoughts.

"Thank you, Zaveid," was all he could say, his eyes closed. "Thank you."

"Heh, you know what?" Zaveid asked while fixing his hat on his head, his voice almost back to its usual. "You keep trying to save everyone, but ya really need to learn you don't gotta do it all yourself. That's a lonely way to live. I got your back too, ya know? And I'm not the only one! So you better start listening to your own advice sometimes."

"Thanks, Zaveid," Sorey repeated with a kind, almost unnoticeable smile. "I promise I'll try. I guess we're just doing what we have to do."

Zaveid nodded in agreement, and then turned back to the inn.

"Wow, when did it get so late?" he remarked, in an attempt to shift the mood. "Shouldn't we be heading back?"

After letting out a sigh, Sorey looked up again.

"...I think I'll stay a bit longer."

"See! I told ya staying out late can be fun!" Zaveid laughed. "Don't stay up _too_ late, though!"

"I'll go back soon. I just want to look at the stars a bit longer."

He didn't have to explain his reasons. If Sorey wanted his own time with the stars, Zaveid could understand better than anyone else.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was a bright, starry, beautiful night like Sorey hadn't seen in a long time, maybe ever since he had left the village. Maybe it seemed even more breathtaking now that he was looking at the stars differently. Either way, and even if it was just a legend spread by humans who loved to try to explain the world around them, every word Zaveid said stayed in his mind, because he just wanted to believe that it was true.

Sorey looked up again one last time. No, he didn't just want to believe it. He _needed_ to believe that, somehow, the loved ones he'd lost, the enemies he fought and the corrupted seraphim he'd save the only way he could would be able to be at peace, watching over them as their own lucky stars.


End file.
